Is this true?

Pass this on to your hunting(?) buddies; House members sent a message to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday by voting to put as many as 50 private pheasant and quail preserves out of business. Typically the owners of these preserves raise birds and release them onto the property before hunters are invited to "pay a fee" to shoot these birds and various waterfowl.

I haven't heard of this, but it wouldn't shock me. This would really hurt dog training efforts, something to keep an eye on. I think it would also be a big blow to those who run thier dogs in field trials and hunt tests. I would hate to see this happen. Wild birds make up a very small percentage of the fowl my pup's put to the air.

INDIANAPOLIS – House members sent a message to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday by voting to put as many as 50 private pheasant and quail preserves out of business as of 2013.

The amendment was adopted in response to the DNR’s decision to shut down high-fence deer operations in the state.

Rep. David Wolkins, R-Winona Lake, offered the new provision to Senate Bill 77 because he said the DNR is being hypocritical by shutting down deer and elk preserves but allowing the bird facilities to continue.

Typically, the owners of these preserves raise birds and release them onto the property before hunters are invited to pay a fee to shoot pheasant, quail, partridge and various waterfowl.

“It should be uniform for all,” Wolkins said of the alleged double standard for deer and bird preserves.

The House voted 47-46 to adopt the amendment, but the House and Senate authors of the bill immediately said the provision will be removed in a conference committee. The amendment would not affect similar “put-and-take” hunts that the DNR conducts on state property.

Rep. Steve Heim, R-Culver, said the game preserve industry has a long history in the state, dating back to 1969.

He noted that 20 percent of the birds escape the preserves by flying away – something deer cannot do.

“Deer run into fences,” Heim said. “If a deer can have wings, it might be a fair comparison.”

Rep. Dan Leonard, R-Huntington, simply noted that to avoid more hypocrisy the state might have to eliminate pay lakes – or “confined fishing.”

DNR Director Kyle Hupfer said he doesn’t understand the message the legislature is trying to send.

He believes the distinction between the two operations is the law.

The pheasant and quail preserves have specific language allowing them to exist, but deer shooting facilities do not.

Most of the deer and elk hunting preserves exist under a game breeder’s permit, which Hupfer said specifies they can raise deer but never says they can put them behind a fence and shoot them.

Previous administrative action confused the issue by allowing preserves to proliferate, but Hupfer contends they have no legal standing to exist in the first place. A lawsuit is pending on that matter.

Hupfer gave the lawmakers this session to legalize the canned deer hunts before the DNR took steps to close them down.

So far, the only action has been a House bill to give the preserves seven years to phase out and recoup their investment. That legislation died in the Senate.

“I haven’t heard concerns about bird preserves that I have about deer,” Hupfer said. “The public views it as two completely different issues.”

He added that the legislature “has clearly acted and shown the intent that you can have a bird shooting preserve. That is not the case with deer.”

Complicating the contentious issue is language a House committee added to Senate Bill 314 that would prohibit the DNR from regulating deer and other wild animals on private property.

The legislation is awaiting a full vote in the House.

“I don’t know if it’s another message, but it goes much farther than deer,” Hupfer said.

He noted that the DNR no longer would have authority to ensure that privately owned animals such as bears and tigers are regulated and receive proper care.

“It basically strips the DNR of quite a bit of regulatory authority and puts it in no man’s land,” Hupfer said.

I don't know if it is true or not. If it is true, then it sounds like sour grapes on the part of the canned hunt owners and their legislative friends they support. Makes you wonder if some of our legislators that are making these laws know the first thing about hunting. I have hunted at a preserve just east of me on a occasion and I can assure any of these idiots we are not hunting birds in a chicken coop. If we were, then that would be akin to a canned hunt for deer, elk etc. It sounds like these people are trying to compare apples to oranges in an effort to get what they want.

When did we get to this point that everything has to be "equal" and "fair" for everything and everyone? Let things stand on their own merits and decide from there. Things are only going to get worse and worse with the society that is being raised up now...they will someday be our legislators, heaven help us all. I knew things would fall apart when Indiana went to a class basketball system!!! Again, that was about being "equal" and "fair" and everybody has to be a "winner". Well guess what, not everyone is a winner...maybe if people learned what it was like to lose they would work a little harder to get what winners get..."the spoils"...aaarrrggghhhh!!!!! :bash:

I agree with you on that Treehugger. Used to everyone could tell you who the reigning basketball champion was in Indiana. Now I can't even tell you who was the 5A champ let alone the 1A. Indiana no longer has a true champion, only class champions. I understand the smaller schools may be at a disadvantage when competing with the larger schools, but at least, have a play off between the class champions to determine who is the STATE champion. Sometimes biggest is not always the best.

Im sorry but is there a lid on a bird preserve?? Seems like they could fly away if they wanted too. I dont think that can happen in a canned hut situation..... Doesnt seem like the two are equal at all....

HEY ALL AS AN OWNER OF A BIRD HUNTING PRESERVE IM FURIOUS I HAVE BEEN ON THE PHONE ALL DAY WITH REPS CO OFFICERS AND EVEN KYLE HUPER. HE TOLD ME THAT REP DAVID WOLKINS INTRODUCED THE BILL TO TAKE A SHOT AT THE DNR. IT WOULD BE IN EVERYBODYS INTEREST THAT LIKE TO HUNT BIRDS TO EMAIL AND OR CALL REP WOLKINS. IT SOUNDS LIKE TO ME THAT HE HAS NOT A CLUE WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS BETWEEN HIGH FENCE DEER HUNTING AND BIRD HUNTING ON A PRESERVE. THESE HIGH FENCED OPERATIONS ARE GIVING ALL OF THE BIRD PRESERVES AND THE GOOD HONEST HUNTERS A BAD REPUTATION. THE REPS EMAIL IS R18@IN.GOV HIS PHONE NO 317 232 9620. EVERYBODY TAKE A STAND AND BE HEARD. THANKS JEFF AT HOOSIER UPLAND WINGS INC.

What a freakin joke these people are! They have waaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands and space in their skulls! Lets see, what great ideas, lets sell control of our sea ports to arabs, control of our highways to Euros. We can sell our precious public forest lands to developers and we really ought to make a complete cluster f#*& out of our time zones. It won't be long before one of these idiots introduces a bill requiring kids to wear helmets while playing in the back yard. Right before that bill will be the one that takes our guns away from us. Thats what we're coming to.

What a freakin joke these people are! They have waaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands and space in their skulls! Lets see, what great ideas, lets sell control of our sea ports to arabs, control of our highways to Euros. We can sell our precious public forest lands to developers and we really ought to make a complete cluster f#*& out of our time zones. It won't be long before one of these idiots introduces a bill requiring kids to wear helmets while playing in the back yard. Right before that bill will be the one that takes our guns away from us. Thats what we're coming to.

Put and takes are not really "fenced in hunting" all the ones ive been to are open fields and they put the birds out like 30 minutes before you even hunt. I don't know where you have been where they have fenced in hunting.

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